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Shifting of the sands? The VOA decades ago allegedly used/planned to use its SL facilities to undermine the Islamic republics in the former USSR.This later led to the Afghan War between the Soviets and the Western/Paki -backed Afghan Mujahideen ,he region still at war.US support for an independent Baluchistan and ditching Pak is perhaps becos of Pak's consistent betrayal of the US on Islamic terror, and handing over Gwadar to the Chinese. The latter reason perhaps the l;ast straw as it would give the Chinese the ability to strike at Wetsern/Indian/Far Eastern tanker shipping as well as a launch pad for Chinese troops into any Gulf state in the future.

VoA broadcasts in 44 languages including Urdu, Persian and Dari but Balochi is missing though Balochistan is one of the sexiest geo-strategic territory.

The chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the agency that operates the Voice of America, has said the VoA will put the adding of a Balochi language service on its agenda.

Walter Isaacson, celebrated editor, book author and intellectual, who heads the VoA, was a guest speaker at a National Press Club luncheon Friday hosted for world-renowned blogger and his old friend Arianna Huffington, president and editor-in-chief of Huffington Post Media Group, and Tim Armstrong, chairman and CEO of AOL.

After the event, to a question from this correspondent, Isaacson said he will take up the matter of adding Balochi language service in real earnest.

He repeated his promise he will take up the issue of adding Balochi language as he left the NPC building.

In recent years, since the launch of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan U.S. interest has in Balochi language has grown by leaps and bounds.

At present, VoA broadcasts in 44 languages including Urdu, Persian and Dari but Balochi is missing though Balochistan is one of the sexiest geo-strategic territory.

Isaacson is the president and CEO of the Aspen Institute, a nonpartisan educational and policy studies institute based in Washington, DC. He has been the chairman and CEO of CNN and the editor of TIME magazine.

Isaacson is the author of Einstein: His Life and Universe (2007), Benjamin Franklin: An American Life (2003), and Kissinger: A Biography (1992), and coauthor of The Wise Men: Six Friends and the World They Made (1986).

Meanwhile, the pro-independence American Friends of Balochistan has welcomed Mr. Isaacson's statement and hoped that Balochi will be added to the VoA broadcasts in the interests of freedom and peace in the Greater Middle East region. The A.F.B. said Balochi was a critical language in the context of the Afpak conflict.

However, Isaacson's interest in promoting VoA services is looked upon with grave suspicions by key players in the so-called Great Game that is evolving in the region, namely Russia (see video).

An influential American Congressman has asked the overseer of the Voice of America to initiate native-language broadcasting to the Baloch people living in Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.

"The Baloch people occupy homelands that stretch across the borders of the three countries and their secular, tolerant and liberal tradition is now in danger of being deprived of access to independent media," said Congressman Dana Rohrabacher.

In a letter to John Lansing, chief executive officer of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, Rohrabacher said, "[N]ative language broadcasting could help to provide Baloch with non-biased news and liberal and democratic values. It would also help to preserve Baloch people language and its secular culture."

The three dominant states are attempting to create a "single-state identity" – Persian, Punjab and Pashtun – and impose the values of their respective religious sects, he added

ANI report on the proceedings of the conference titled "Wall of Silence: Human rights in Balochistan" jointly organized by the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) and the World Baloch Organization (WBO) at the UK House of Lords in London:

London [UK], July 22 (ANI): A senior teaching fellow and a PhD candidate at the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) has said that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) represents the colonization of Pakistan for the enrichment of China.

Speaking at the conference "Wall of Silence: Human rights in Balochistan", Burzine Waghmar said Pakistan's statehood is based on a fragile framework with no national basis in which Pakistani military acts with no legitimacy and with violence against local populations.

The conference was jointly organized by the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) and the World Baloch Organization (WBO) at the House of Lords in London.

The event which was hosted by Baroness Jenny Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party for England and Wales), discussed Pakistan's suppression of human rights in Balochistan, focusing on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and on the shutdown on journalists and international organistions.

Distinguished experts from various backgrounds presented their experiences and ways forward, in a fruitful exchange of ideas at the British Parliament.

Waghmar during the conference also highlighted with concern the fact that China is unlikely to take into the consideration the contexts of the various ethnic groups in the country while pursuing the implementation of the economic corridor.

He presented a historical overview that showed how China's regional ambitions have affected disadvantaged groups in Pakistan for decades and how the Pakistani government has collaborated with these ambitions even before the Indo-Pakistani deal in 1947.

Baroness Jenny Jones de Moulsecoomb opened the event with an overview of the situation in Balochistan, from extrajudicial killings to economic exploitation and the persecution of those who oppose the implementation of CPEC.

The Baroness talked about the importance of raising awareness about these issues and of gathering international support to bring peace to the Baloch people.

Noordin Mengal, human rights campaigner (WBO), who was also the moderator of the panel in the conference reminded the audience that CPEC is not the first project of exploitation of natural resources by outsiders in Balochistan: natural gas and copper are key resources that have been exploited by Punjabis and Chinese, while the government denies the local population their rights to partaking in the richness that results from the use of the resources of their own land.

Angela Stanzel, of the European Council on Foreign Relations, highlighted the centrality of Balochistan in Pakistan-China relations, considering the amount of investments dedicated to the region by the Chinese, mainly for the Port of Gwadar.

According to Stanzell, CPEC has been fueling conflict in Pakistan and particularly in Balochistan, as it became a target for political opposition and extremist groups.

She noted that the feeling of Baloch people of being neglected and left behind was not born with CPEC, having been consolidated throughout history while Balochistan was subjected to exploitation and while its inhabitants were denied their rights.

Stanzell also drew attention to the fact that CPEC seems to be a model for the projects that China intends to implement worldwide, which must be regarded with concern considering that no investment is directed to local communities, increasing tensions in regions that are already unstable and raising censorship and violence against those who dare to oppose the project.

Carlotta Gall, who spent ten years in Pakistan and Afghanistan as a foreign correspondent for the New York Times, talked about her experiences under the intimidation and the violence to which both foreign correspondents and local journalists are subjected by Pakistani intelligence officers and military in Balochistan.

According to Gall, journalists are followed by Pakistani intelligence officers from the moment they touch ground in the region and are intimidated not only with physical violence, but also with threats to the safety of their loved ones.

She affirmed that her experience proved to her that Pakistan is not interested in allowing the Baloch people to have a voice - their focus is solely allowing military plans and economic projects such as Gwadar to move forward.

Approaching the fact that journalists, students, political activists are often arrested, tortured and murdered, she concluded that people are given little choice to be active in helping their communities, which fuels the rising of groups that resource to violence in order to fight for survival and dignity.

Peter Tatchell, from the Peter Tatchell Foundation, focused on the possibilities for Baloch people to succeed in their struggle for peace and respect for their rights.

He reminded the audience that Pakistan is widely dependent on western support, which means that raising international pressure in the context of IOs and CSOs is likely to have a strong impact in reducing the military pressure on the Baloch people.

He highlighted the importance of a well-delineated plan that gathers different Baloch organizations and groups, based on principles of social justice, human rights and democracy.

According to Tatchell, by uniting around some central demands - such as the release of political prisoners, a UN-sponsored ceasefire and a referendum on independence, and free access to the region for human rights organizations and journalists - Baloch people will be able to mobilize a comprehensive international solidarity movement to support their struggle.

Fernando Burges, UNPO Programme Manager, noted that the situation of ethnic and religious minorities in Pakistan stand out as particularly dire and noted that events such as "The Wall of Silence" are of paramount importance to give a platform for these peoples' voices to be heard, while they are silenced in their own countries.

The conference came to an end with Mengal urging states such as the United States and the United Kingdom to revise their policies regarding Pakistan, taking in consideration the situation of disadvantaged communities that have been suffering with human rights violations for decades. (ANI)

Link to video of the proceedings of the conference titled "Wall of Silence: Human rights in Balochistan" jointly organized by the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) and the World Baloch Organization (WBO) at the UK House of Lords in London:

The Balochi-spea­king population appears to have shrunk marginally in 21 districts of Balochistan over a period of 19 years, whereas no growth in population has been recorded in the nine Pashtun-majority districts.

the overall average growth in Balochistan was recorded at a much higher rate of 3.37 per cent compared to the national average of 2.4pc

There has been no word from the nationalists either.

According to the census results, the Baloch population has shrunk from 61pc to 55.6pc in the province over a period of 19 years in 21 districts where the Baloch form a majority.

However, the total number of Baloch people has increased from 4 million in 1998 to 6.86m in 2017

According to the data gathered, Quetta now houses 2.275m people, or 18.4pc of the total population of Balochistan. The figure has risen dramatically since the last census in 1998, according to which Quetta had a population of 773,936 people, or 11.78pc of the total population of the province.

Mr Balooch said among the factors of growth of Quetta district’s population was the influx of Afghans as well as Baloch people from conflict areas.

Balochistan population has grwon but native Baloch population has shrunk. But Quitter has tripled in size. So, either the native, rural ethnic Balochis are migrating to Quitter or pakjabis and pashtoons are migrating to Balochistan (and Quitter). Either way, this spells trouble for the native Baloch. Now with SeePack on its way, the exploitation of the hinterlands will be well under way with no native resistance.

GENEVA (Dunya News) – Farrukh Amil, the Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations and other International Organisations, wrote a letter to his Swiss counterpart, stating that the use of Switzerland’s soil by terrorists against Pakistan and its 200 million people is totally unacceptable.

“Any notion of “Free Baluchistan” is a flagrant attack on sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan. The fact that such attack emanated from Switzerland is deeply regrettable”

As trees have seeds and mushrooms spores to grow from, similarly movements whether political or armed have historical seeds; movements do not happen without a reason. The Irish Republic is said to be the result of British callousness during the Irish Famine of 1845-1852; Bangladesh the result of Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s March 21, 1948 Dhaka speech about Urdu and then the continued injustices.

Balochistan issue arose when Khan of Kalat was forced to sign the instrument of accession on March 27, 1948. The soil for these seeds are people who are historically conscious of their political and social rights. It seems that Pakistan has not learned any lessons from its history !

The Baloch struggle for their rights has simmered since, and has now and then boiled over into open armed insurgencies. These didn’t succeed in their aims but at the same time Pakistan, despite the use of military might was unable to crush the Baloch resistance.

The Baloch insurgencies of 1948 and 1958 were spontaneous and short lived. The credit for organised and sustained armed struggle for Baloch rights goes to Mir Sher Mohammad Marri respectfully called Babu (Uncle) by Marris; media often called him General Sherov to imply he served Russian interests. It was he who with the support of Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri established the first Farrari camps in 1962 to challenge the might of Pakistan in an organised manner. Babu left the mountains in 1969 when Yaha Khan took over, an amnesty was announced and One Unit dissolved. An election was called; and Yahya, refused to hand over power to Mujib, on the behest of Bhutto, and thus was born Bangladesh

The formation of Baloch Peoples’ Liberation Front (BPLF) during the 1973-1977 army operations in Balochistan during Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s rule was possible because of the Farrari camps established by Babu. Incidentally, the 1973 insurgency was the first sustained armed conflict between Baloch and Pakistan, fought to a stalemate which saw heavy casualties on both sides. The confrontation between Baloch and Pakistan after cessation of military operations in 1977 didn’t die out, though on surface there was calm. A large number of Marris had migrated to Afghanistan and Nawab Khair Bakhsh went there in December 1981. The Shia Bhutto, had the support of the Shia Shah Of Iran, in his efforts to put down the Sunni Baloch.

When Nawab Sahib and Marri refugees returned from Afghanistan in 1992 after Dr. Najeebullah’s ouster a change was seen and even his sons, despite his displeasure, became ministers in the Balochistan government. This period of ambiguity of acceptance and cooperation continued till Pervez Musharraf assumed power in 1999.

In January 2000, Nawab Khair Bakhsh was incarcerated on false charges of killing Justice Mohammad Nawaz Marri and that ended the ambiguity which had cast its shadow over Baloch aspirations and struggle because his arrest proved that the establishment would never reconcile with the Baloch. The repression was then re-launched against the Baloch and the dormant resentment at the historical injustices was rekindled. The later rape and then subsequent dishonour of a Baloch female medical doctor at the hands of a Paki Army Officer, and the Fauj's refusal to punish him, became the "trigger" for the killing of Bugti by Musharaf !

Mir Balach Marri, son of Nawab Khair Bakhsh, won the October 2002 provincial elections from Kohlu and created a furor by taking oath in Balochi and swearing loyalty to Balochistan. Knowing that the assembly was powerless, he went to the Marri hills to struggle for Baloch rights.

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) was formed during this period to resist the intensified state repression; violence of the victims against state violence. The Baloch Liberation Front (BLF) of Dr Allah Nazar was also formed around that time and it was on May 2, 2004 that three Chinese engineers working on Gwadar port were killed and the BLF owned it. The Baloch Republican Army (BRA) was formed when confrontation between Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti and establishment began in 2004. The Baloch resistance had come a long way from 1948. Unsurprisingly, these militant organisations consider the Baloch political parties supporting Pakistan as traitors.

The then interior minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao on January 31, 2005 admitted that since 2003, 1,529 rockets had been fired and 113 bombs exploded in Quetta, Sui, Kohlu and Gwadar; later he admitted 4000 Baloch were detained. These figures indicate how active BLA, BLF and BRA were.

The Baloch resistance continued to intensify and so much so that when Musharraf visited Kohlu in December 2005, rockets were fired by the BLA at that gathering. Nawab Khair Bakhsh told me once that Balach had asked if they had done the right thing to which he was asked, “Why did you miss?” It is beyond doubt that Balach Marri led the BLA till his death on November 21, 2007; however one shouldn’t surmise who the BLA is being led by now because even conjectures can put a burden on the names named thus.

The structure of an armed organisation fighting a standing army out of necessity is fluid as they are always on move and their situation always tenuous. Like the BPLF of past, the BLA and others have educated persons as well as tribesmen among their fighters. From my experience of BPLF, I can say that on ground there is an overall commander and then area commanders who lead fighters in different areas. These groups are hardly at a place for a few days; their mobility helps them evade detection and also gives them the element of surprise. For instance, in November 2005 a hundred BLA fighters attacked Bolan Mining Enterprise extracting iron ore in the Dilband area of Mastung and destroyed its Rs50-60 million worth machinery.

Surprisingly, in September 2008 out of blue the BLA, the BLF and the BRA announced a unilateral ceasefire; probably hoping that the new PPP government would change tack and not repeat the 1973 mistakes; then disheartened at lack of response they announced the end of ceasefire in January 2009.

It wouldn’t be out of place to mention that it was under this PPP government that the abhorrent systematic ‘kill and dump’ policy was initiated and its first victims were Ghulam Mohammad Baloch, President Baloch Nation National Movement (BNM), Lala Muneer, Vice-President BNM and Sher Mohammad Baloch, Deputy Secretary General of Baloch Republican Party (BRP), who were abducted from the office of lawyer Kachkol Ali on April 3, 2009 and their mutilated bodies found on April 9at Murghaap near Turbat. This grisly policy was then intensified and now continues in form of fake ‘encounters’.

The presence of BLA outside Pakistan is again based on conjectures as no one has ever come forward to claim its leadership. However, the West has a large Baloch Diaspora and they arrange conferences and rallies in support for a free Balochistan and Baloch rights. Recently #FreeBalochistan posters appeared on taxis in London and Pakistan officially protested. These were then removed as Transporters for London said these violated rules. However, now billboards of #FreeBalochistan have been put up on roads there. Oddly Pakistan panics and over reacts at posters of #FreeBalochistan’ in the West.

Dr Allah Nazar has remained in news since he formed the Baloch Students Organization (Azad) — it was proscribed by Pakistan in March 2013 — which struggles for Baloch rights and has borne the brunt of state repression. He was arrested in March 2005 from Karachi while meeting former BSO comrades; barely alive after severe torture he was shifted to hospital in August 2006 and once well enough he took to the mountains and continues to fight. The BLF not only fights the army but also battles state’s fundamentalist armed proxy groups in Awaran. In September 2015, Balochistan home minister wrongly claimed that Allah Nazar had been killed.

Two weeks back there was the sensational news of Allah Nazar’s wife and Aslam Baloch’s (of BLA) sister being arrested. The government claimed they were arrested from Chaman but Senator Jehanzeb Jamaldini told Senate that an entire neighbourhood witnessed their arrest in Quetta. The government had presumed that the Baloch are sensitive about families and it could pressurise him but was disappointed and released them.

Dr Allah Nazar’s brothers and his cousins have been killed in army operations in his home region of Awaran, but he refuses to give up the fight and is considered a grave threat to the CPEC and the Chinese personnel who will come. A Special Security Division has been created and expansion of Civil Armed Forces is underway. Also residency permits and fencing of Gwadar are under consideration to protect Chinese.

The state’s distrust of the people, their repression and the consequent internal displacement has not stopped the people from supporting the groups that they think are fighting for their salvation. It is because of this support that despite the oft repeated claims by the government and army that the Baloch insurgency has been crushed the Baloch armed resistance refuses to buckle under the might of the state.

WBO's press release in response to the statement issued by the UK High Commissioner in Islamabad, Thomas Drew, after being summoned & pressured by Pakistani authorities over the ongoing awareness campaign highlighting human rights situation in #Balochistanhttps://tribune.com.pk/story/1558903/1- ... ses/?amp=1 …

LONDON: Swiss government has slapped “entry ban” on exiled Baloch leader Mehran Marri which is valid for ten years, Geo News has reported.It is exclusively learnt from credible sources that the ban was placed on request of Pakistani government which handed over a dossier ( probably recycled from the past !) to the government of Switzerland alleging that Mehran Marri – who is widely known as Mehran Baluch – has links with militant groups in Balochistan.

On Thursday, Mehran Marri arrived at the Zurich airport with his wife and four children when he was stopped by the immigration officers. Sources told that Swiss government’s foreign ministry officials met him and handed him over a dossier of 8 pages explaining why his immigration into Switzerland will not be allowed. Swiss government sources have confirmed to this scribe that the “lifetime entry ban” on Mehran Marri was placed on 9th of November. He needs the services of a "good lawyer" !

Mehran Marri was arrested and detained as soon as he reached the airport with his wife and family, Swiss government sources confirmed. The source said that Mehran Marri has the right to appeal against decision of the Swiss government but “for now his entry is banned”. India should consider granting him asylum if possible .

Sources told that Pakistan’s Foreign Office has been in touch with the Swiss authorities about Mehran Marri and his brother-in-law Brahumdagh Bugti who lives permanently in Geneva on asylum. Both had announced that they will hold a major conference on Balochistan in the Swiss capital on 18th of November to bring together various Baloch leaders from Europe to announce a joint strategy. IMO, this is not the end of the story !

An independent and secular Balochistan would drive a stake into the heart of Pakistan’s Islamization policy and its reliance on Islamic terrorism as an instrument of its foreign policy.Two questions arise from those speculations.Why is the U.S. still fighting a war11 in Afghanistan under rules of engagement determined by Pakistan?Why is the U.S. not exploiting opportunities to influence the strategic conditions in South Asia that might favorable affect the outcome in Afghanistan and future American influence in the region?The ugly truth is that, lacking any new ideas or alternative approaches, the counterinsurgency and nation-building program in Afghanistan remains on automatic pilot, where everyone is being reassured that everything is going according to plan and that “progress is being made.”Within the military bureaucracy, the tendency to give and accept happy talk is pervasive. Negative views can only be expressed as whispers in private conversations. Public criticism is suicide and, contrary to popular belief, changing the system from within is at best serendipity or at worst urban myth. In a system highly resistant to change, innovative thinking can be a risky proposition.Military careerism fosters the development of political correctness, a finely-tuned sense of risk aversion, and a laissez-faire attitude toward demonstrable progress, where the appearance, rather than the substance of success, is a satisfactory outcome. The longer you are in such an environment, the more the bureaucracy can shape your thinking and behavior. You become a stakeholder in maintaining the status quo.Current U.S. strategy in Afghanistan is not designed to win, but not to lose, until a graceful exit can be achieved. Even if a long-term presence could be sustained, it is not a viable strategy when Pakistan determines what is sustainable.The time is long overdue to take a serious, comprehensive look at the manner in which the war in Afghanistan is being conducted, whether the continued and exclusive pursuit of a yet unsuccessful 16-year-old strategy is, in actuality, suppressing our options and setting us up for future failure.

In the past days, a delegation from Pakistan has engaged in talks with Members of the UK Parliament with a delegation of 12 representing the provincial government, among whom 2 Baloch individuals who have never spoken out for human rights in the region. The delegation, with no legitimacy to represent the Baloch people and their struggle for peace and freedom, has stated that “British Land shall not be used against Pakistan”, according to reports on the media, a clear reference to the World Baloch Organisation’s #FreeBalochistan campaign in London. Pakistan’s actions reveal how frightened the government is that the world discovers the truth about the situation in Balochistan.

One of the Baloch individuals who took part in the delegation is Mr Asim Gailu Kurd, well-known in Pakistan for accusations related to drugs and arms trafficking – by no means a representative of the peaceful and lawful struggle of the Baloch people for their human rights. The other one is Mr Abdul Malik Baloch, who was Chief Minister of Balochistan from 2013 to 2015. At the end of his mandate, the Pakistani media itself pointed to his failure to address the core issues of the region – including the frequent killings and disappearances and the dialogue with leaders of the Baloch nationalist movement. His election to the post of Chief Minister in 2013 happened with 4,500 votes from a population of almost half a million, since the Baloch population largely boycotted the votes as a protest against Islamabad’s institutions.

Another good example of the lack of political representation of the secular and progressive Baloch people is that the Deputy speaker of the Provincial Assembly of Balochistan, Abdul Quddus Bizenjo, nominated by the Pakistan Muslim League-Q, was elected with only 544 votes out of 121,000. Later, no more than 26 were certified by local bodies. Apart from Islamabad’s rule being imposed on regional institutions, Balochistan accounts for only 17 of a total of 342 parliamentary seats in the National Assembly of Pakistan, giving the Baloch limited legislative influence in the national sphere. Leave aside, "limited legislative influence", Pakistan has "sold" the port of Gawadar to the Chinese !

The #FreeBalochistan is a human rights awareness campaign focusing on the dire situation of the Baloch people and urging for the end of killings, torture and enforced disappearances by the Pakistani military in Balochistan. The campaign is based on adverts placed around the city of London, attracting the interest of pedestrians and drivers to this long-forgotten issue that requires urgent attention from the international community. WBO has faced strong opposition from the government of Pakistan, which ruled the campaign “malicious”, “anti-Pakistan” and “an attack to the territorial integrity of Pakistan”. Sooner or later, the "lid" will burst open and the plan to suppress this campaign will backfire !

As a result of pressure from Pakistani authorities, Transport for London has ordered the removal of all adverts of the #FreeBalochistan campaign which had been displayed on taxis in London. Claiming that WBO’s adverts are not in accordance with the company’s advertising policy, TfL has made the discriminatory and unfair decision to ban the adverts. However, the campaign is still ongoing and WBO has released a new video of the mobile awareness campaign run across the city of London as part of the #FreeBalochistan campaign. Good for them !

The video can be found here. The campaign highlighted human rights abuses in Balochistan and the worsening of the situation due to the implementation of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), displaying billboards in emblematic locations to the Baloch struggle, such as the Pakistani and Chinese embassies in London.

WBO is dedicated to making the voices of the Baloch heard around the world, urging the international community to stand up against the violence suffered by the people of Balochistan, an issue largely marginalised in the media but well reported by prominent organisations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. WBO will continue to speak out for human rights and freedom of expression regardless of the constant attempts by the Pakistani government to suppress the voices of those who suffer in Balochistan.

Three labourers were killed and another injured when suspected militants opened fire on them in Balochistan's Harnai district on Tuesday evening, Levies officials said.The firing incident took place in Naks area of Harnai district, the officials said, adding that the victims were repairing the railway track in Harnai when they were targeted by the miscreants.The same word - miscreants - was being used to describe their Islamic Bengalis brothers , in the erstwhile East Pakistan with deadly results, which Pakistan has yet to recover from . The "miscreants" ultimate aim is the same - azaadi for Balochistan

As a result of firing, three labourers died on the spot while the injured was rushed to District Headquarter Hospital (DHQ) Harnai for emergency medical treatment.Initial reports suggested that the victims belonged to Balochistan's Zob district. The miscreants escaped unhurt after the firing. Whether like it or not, Pakistan is facing a guerilla war in Balochistan

Levies and Frontier Corps personnel rushed to the spot and initiated an investigation into the firing incident.The incident comes weeks after the cold-blooded murder of 15 labourers in Balochistan's Kech district. When Balochi men are thrown down from helicopters, and their men, women and children are made to disappear , the "Balochi miscreants" will retaliate in this fashion !

Following Abdul Quddus Bizenjo’s election as the third chief minister of Balochistan in four years, it would be useful to review his credentials largely in terms of popularity and acceptability. Before we congratulate him, we must see how many votes he bagged in the general election held in 2013? Out of a total of 57,656 registered votes in the constituency, Bizenjo secured just 544 votes, which is slightly above one per cent. Is it enough mandate?

In terms of democratic yardsticks, the legislator from Awaran district is perhaps not even eligible for a seat of a councillor, let alone MPA or the chief minister for that matter! Within days of his election as CM, Bizenjo joined the Pakistan Peoples Party. The reason behind the abysmally low turnout was owing to the boycott by separatist-minded Baloch nationalist parties in the area. Does his election represent the aspirations of the people who are disgruntled and disillusioned, and caught between democratic and non-democratic forces?

It is evident from the turnout in Awaran that nationalist groups wield considerable influence there. So, is it a prudent approach to ignore them and move on? Surely, one should have explored ways and means to bring them to the negotiating table? Egos shouldn’t come in the way when we attempt to resolve a sensitive and volatile issue.

The general election results in Awaran also raise serious questions about the effectiveness of the Election Commission. How can it declare a candidate successful on the basis of one percentage votes? Instead of accepting the poll results, the Election Commission should have declared it null and void because such a candidate cannot be a true representative of the area. The Election Commission must answer as to why it chose to remain silent and indifferent to the said poll results.

Though Balochistan is a troubled and complex province, our rulers tend to adopt the same approach yet naively expect a better outcome. Decades-long mishandling of the province has resulted in worsening of the situation and creation of new kind of problems. It seems that policymakers and those “forces” which decide the fate of the province behind the curtains still don’t realise the gravity of the situation as well as the shortcomings of their strategy. Bizenjo is arguably the weakest CM compared with his predecessors, Sardar Sanaullah Zehri and Dr Abdul Malik Baloch, in terms of votes and party position in the assembly. Despite allocating Rs34 billion for maintaining law and order, almost half of the social sector development budget, the provincial government has failed to address the issue and bring sustainable peace to Balochistan.

The first coalition government under Dr Abdul Malik Baloch left a trail of gloom and doom which was rife with corruption scandals, nepotism and conflicts with the bureaucracy, all these issues rendered him ineffective. The same farcical scenes were replayed when Sardar Sanaullah Zehri was in the saddle. As a result, the shadow of corruption and favoritism continued to dominate the political scene in Balochistan and major issues remained unresolved. Under Bizenjo, things are unlikely to change drastically. Keeping in view the weak civilian setup, it is not very difficult to predict what the newly elected CM will be able to deliver in the remaining few months.

One wonders what is then a sustainable and effective solution to Balochistan’s problems? The system of governance will not improve by installing weak and hand-picked leaders. The province needs a greater and genuine participation of public in the democratic process. At the moment Balochistan has the lowest turnout in the country — 40.48%. Moreover, if one excludes the percentage of rigging then it will further go down. It is high time for “the decision-makers” to revisit their strategy thoroughly vis-à-vis Balochistan. The province badly requires real leaders with a full mandate of the public, not hand-picked ones.

Articulating the oppression meted out by the Punjabi Uniformed Jihadi Dominated Deep State of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is not restricted at the sidelines of the current 37th United Nations Human Rights Council session to the oppressed Baloch / Balochi / Baluchi living under Punjabi occupation. The oppression meted out by the Punjabi Uniformed Jihadi Dominated Deep State of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is also being articulated by Sindhi’s and Mohajirs living under Punjabi occupation in the Mohammadden Terrorism Fomenting Islamic Republic of Pakistan:

X Posted from the Oppression of Minorities in Pakistan thread to the Terroristan, Baluchistan : The Story of Another Pakistan Military Genocide and Pakistan Armed Forces threads.

More shaming of the Mohammadden Terrorism Islamic Republic of Pakistan at Geneva where the 37th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council is underway for crimes violating human rights of minorities by State Actors.

Mohajir leader and head of the Mohajir Quami Movement aka MQM, Altaf Hussain, fires a salvo particularly targeting the Uniformed Jihadi’s of Punjab Province Dominated Military. Terms the Uniformed Jihadis of the Punjabi Dominated Military “Mass Murderers” and calls for them to be tried before the ICJ :

"Those corrupt military personnel who support and implement must be held accountable as war criminals, they must be tried before the ICJ (International Court of Justice in The Hague). I request member states to support me and my community, help us to bring these criminals to justice. Mass murderers must be held accountable,"

Accuses the Uniformed Jihadi’s of Punjab Province Dominated Military of oppression since the inception of the Mohammadden Terrorism Fomenting Islamic Republic of Pakistan:

"I represent all those human beings who have been oppressed by the Pakistani militaryregime, since the very inception of Pakistan, and in particular the Mohajirs who had migrated from India to Pakistan in 1947.

Goes to bat against the “Ethnic Cleansing” of what he terms “my fellow Balochis, Pashtoons and people from FATA."

Our Government must provide 800% Diplomatic and Moral Support to ensure freedom and liberation for the many minority linguistic, ethnic, religious and minority Mohammadden sectarian groups that are subject to oppression by the Uniformed Jihadis following Sunni Mohammaddenism from Punjab Province who dominate the Military and the Deep State of the Mohammadden Terrorism Fomenting Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

How can they be so shameless? for decades they terrorized India encouraging terrorism in J&K and else where, that is not interference? if there is espionage from India very good news. Hope Baluchsitan becomes free soon.

Baloch fighter dares China before blowing himself in a fidayeen attack :

"We have told China multiple times to shun plundering Baloch resources and refrain from becoming part of any Pakistani designs. We have asked China time and again to take their engineers and workers out of Balochistan. However, China never paid heed to our justified demands", said Rehan Baloch in a video message issued from an undisclosed location in Balochistan.

In his message, Rehan accused that 'with China's help, Pakistan has intensified its offensive against Baloch nation and thousands have been killed and their villages destroyed in Pakistani military operations.

"China has also been providing arms, ammunition, funds and communication devices to Pakistan to use against Baloch national struggle. This is a serious crime both legally and morally with China's help. Pakistan has intensified its offensive against Baloch nation and thousands have been killed and hundreds of villages have been destroyed. During Pakistani military operation thousands of Baloch have been forced to leave their ancestral land to become refugees in Iran, Afghanistan and Middle East", said the young Baloch fighter, who appeared holding an automatic weapon.

"Through this act, I want to make China and its people realize that whosoever will try to meddle in Baloch issue without Baloch nation's consent, it will face the wrath of the Baloch nation," he added.

"It cannot be possible at all for a foreign country to plunder the precious natural resources and wealth of Baloch nation without any resistance when our people are deprived of basic necessities, China should immediately withdraw its investment and forces from Balochistan or else they will continue to face Baloch youth", said Rehan Baloch.

A protest Pakistan wants to hide from the world. the protestors of the PTM rounded up.

………{Rest Snipped}………

The Mohammadden Terrorism Fomenting Islamic Republic of Pakistan may be attempting to hide atrocities but the world has picked up on it. Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani’s tweet on the subject:

Ashraf Ghani‏Verified account

@ashrafghaniFollow Follow @ashrafghaniMoreThe Afghan government has serious concerns about the violence perpetrated against peaceful protestors and civil activists in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

"Following the Footsteps of Zayed," and in coordination with the UAE Embassy in Pakistan.The field hospital, which is a follow-up to the campaign’s previous humanitarian efforts in Sindh Province, which benefitted thousands of women and children, aims to offer the best diagnostic, therapeutic, preventive and surgical services to women and children, coinciding with the directives of the UAE’s wise leadership to make 2019 the Year of Tolerance, and due to the heritage of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.Noura Al Suwaidi, Director of the GWU, stated that Sheikha Fatima ordered the deployment of the hospital and mobile clinics in Balochistan to ease the suffering of women and children, headed by the Emirati cardiac surgeon, Dr. Adel Al Shameri, CEO of the Zayed Giving Initiative

This is very convenient for PA who will be running away wearing Burkhas too.

Long ago I read this book about pp from The Future who could travel into the past and visit arbitrary points as tourists. Obviously they chose to visit places just b4 major spectacular events. Like an asteroid falling on a town.

On 16 February 2019, armed men killed two Frontier Corps in Loralai.[2] On 17 February 2019, two security personnel of the Frontier Corps were killed in the Gardab area of Panjgur district. The attack was carried out by the Baloch Raji Ajoi Sangar (BRAS), an alliance of three Balochi separatist organizations, the Baloch Liberation Army, Balochistan Liberation Front and Baloch Republican Guard.[4][5] Some sources claimed that around nine military personnel were killed and eleven personnel were injured in the attack,[6] while others said four individuals were killed in Panjgur while other two were killed in Loralai.These attacks were preceded by the 2019 Loralai attack in which eight policemen and a civilian were killed by gunmen and suicide bombers affiliated with Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan on 29 January 2019...Baloch Khan, the spokesperson for BRAS, stated that their fighters launched attack on the country's security forces and a camp at the same timethe spokesperson for BRAS, as saying that their fighters had attacked the Pakistani security forces patrolling team and a camp at the same time during Sunday morning on CPEC route between Panjgur and Turbat city.[4]

The attack happened hours before the Saudi Arabia's Prince Mohammed bin Salman made his visit to Pakistan. Jamal Kamal Khan, the Chief Minister of Balochistan, condemned the attack and referred it as a conspiracy against region's development

CPEC has been dubbed a game changer by Pakistani officials. But have the Balochs been able to voice their perspective? Even though CPEC originates from Gwadar and Balochistan, the Balochs have hardly been discussed in official rhetoric about the project. There is no evidence that the Baloch will reap the benefits of having CPEC in the province.As a result, many Balochs are apprehensive because their consent was not sought at the time of the announcement of CPEC — despite the fact that their land makes the backbone of the corridor. Also, Balochs themselves foresee a wave of Pakistanis from outside their province arriving and investing in Gwadar following CPEC.It is a common fear among Balochs – not only Baloch nationalists — that these CPEC-related projects will bring about a demographic change in the near future. Already, many people in Gwadar have sold their lands at cut-rate prices to investors from outside of Balochistan. Baloch nationalists see this trend as a “take over” that it will be demographically a disaster for Balochs, because it will change the ethnicity of the area.CPEC projects are likely to escalate the conflict between the Balochs and the state, as these two forces did not trust each other from the very beginning. Pakistan has already announced that it will provide a 10,000-strong security force to protect CPEC, while Baloch separatists have carried out attacks on workers along the route.

Not much substance in the article. Looks like a Sagarika Ghose "essay". Middle-school C-grade

The Express Tribune > Pakistan > BalochistanFour security personnel injured in Mastung suicide attackBy Our CorrespondentFebruary 13, 2019suicide bomber targeted a security convoy on patrol in Mastung’s Sheikh Wasil area. At least four injured security personnel were admitted to Civil Hospital, Quetta, where their condition is said to be out of danger since (never mind). Security forces threw a cordon around the area following the blast and investigations are underway. The bombing comes a day after four police officials were martyred in a gun attack on a police patrol in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s DI Khan. The police van was attacked when it stopped at a gas station in the jurisdiction of Parovah police station. The officer leading the patrol, SHO Tahir Nawaz, was critically wounded in the attack, while two passers-by also sustained injuries.

explosives-laden motorcycle detonated in the city’s Mazdoor Chowk area. The powerful explosion left at least three of the 11 injured people in critical condition.Officials have cordoned off the area for a search operation and they fear the casualty figure may rise.

Only 3pc of CPEC investment being spent on Balochistan: CM Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani has said that only three per cent of the total China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) investment is being spent in Balochistan and this situation has increased the sense of deprivation among the people of the province.The chief minister said this during a meeting with members of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Task Force held here on Wednesday to discuss the Sustainable Development Goals.Take a look: No progress made on Balochistan component of CPEC’s western routeMr Alyani said that no system or planning could succeed unless there was a good administrative structure, regretting that administrative steps taken by the previous governments of Balochistan on a temporary basis did not improve the situation as there were no permanent government policies and these affected the entire system and no improvement could be made in all government institutions.

Last edited by UlanBatori on 24 Feb 2019 18:42, edited 1 time in total.

First time I am seeing anything other than photos of dusty ground with strewn wreckage and body parts after vacuum bulb accidents or PA massacres of innocents. This place evidently is not overgrown with foliage. Looks like a Mongolian summer.

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is once again in the spotlight as one of the founders of the ruling party in Balochistan, Saeed Ahmed Ha­­shmi, has expressed concerns regarding the existence of its western route. While there are several dimensions to CPEC that merit debate, the focus in this article is on an evidence-based update on the status of the western route of CPEC.

According to the Long-Term Plan of the mega-scam, CPEC comprises one corridor and mul­­­tiple passages, including eas­­­t­ern, central and western alignments. These passages are joi­n­­ed together by common ali­gn­ments in the north and south. The southern common alignment starts at Gwadar and terminates at Basima. From Basima onwards, the corridor breaks into eastern, central and western passages. These passages re-converge at Burhan — which marks the beginning of the northern common alignment that passes through Thakot and Khunjerab.Interestingly enough, the federal government describes the Gwadar-Hoshab-Surab road as a section of the western route in its official briefs and maps when in fact it is the southern common alignment. The government does so because this is the only road that has been built in Balochistan over the last five years.

THAT is the link we needed very much at UBCN, thanks and may your goats eat only clean Pakistan Army burkhas!

Apparently $3b worth of trade going through Chabahar, Iran, bypassing Pakistan entirely. From UBCN's Deep Geographics Division comes this gyan: Route goes from Chabahar to Zahedan, crosses Afghan border at Zaranj, and then branches off towards Herat or Kandahar. Wow! Now it makes sense. Mazar-e-Sharif is far north of Kabul, close to northern border, which is why Dostum's army reached there first after the Shomali Plain TurkeyShoot crushed the Pakiban. But the Shias there had good ties to Iran (that's the answer to someone's post above asking about Iranian influence on Shias in "central" A'stan. All shias in Afghanistan appear to have deep cultural ties to Iran.

So I hope NaMao is taking needed steps to protect this trade going from Zahedan to Kandahar by providing necessary cover for Iranian-Afghan security forces protecting this 400% civilian trade. We have reason to believe that Pakistan Army is not happy about this Chabahar-Kandahar removing their hold on the border crossings of the Bolan Pass and transshipment across from Gwadar.

Chabahar to Zaranj (which is technically inside A'Stan?) is a mere 876km, which takes only 178 hours per Googlesware, a blazing 4.88 kmph. That is better than the speed over the Horse-Ran Pass on the National Highway in Bangalore, Kerala, and no comparison at all to the "churam" road from Poultry-Code to Way-land. Not to mention Airport Road, Bengaluru.

Zaranj or Zarang is a city in southwestern Afghanistan, near the border with Iran, which has a population of 160,902 people as of 2015. It is the capital of Nimruz province and is linked by highways with Lashkar Gah to the east, Farah to the north and the Iranian city of Zabol to the west.

It actually looks like a green agricultural-fields area in their PR pics. Satellite map is bit not-so-green.

Zaranj to Kandahar is 422km, 85 hours by the quickest route, which goes near the Balochistan border. More interesting, Zaranj to Bahram Chah is 455km, 92 hours.

Route 606, also known as Delaram-Zaranj Highway or A71 is a 218 km roadway in the Nimruz Province of Afghanistan connecting the Delaram District in Afghanistan to the border of Iran. The opposite way goes towards the south near Zaranj, Afghanistan. It is one of the busiest roads in Afghanistan and provides an important trade route between Iran and the rest of Asia.... Route 606 reduces travel time between Delaram and Zaranj from the earlier 12–14 hours to just 2 hours.

Yes, but it doesn't complete the job of getting to the big bajaars of Kandahar, Herat or Kabul. I wonder why these roads that look so big on Satellite maps, have such average speeds. Kerala road contractors and mantris are clearly not doing their jobs if they allow 20kmph average speeds, compared to the 4 and 5 kmph in these parts. Iran? I thought their roads would be state of the art.

Eighteen injured people and one body was brought to the hospital after the blast, according to hospital officials in Dera Murad Jamali. The wounded included a doctor who was running the clinic. The deceased was identified as Muhammad Omer Bugti. His body was handed over to the heirs after completion of medico-legal formalities.“The five injured are in critical condition and have been shifted to Larkana for better treatment,” said Civil Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Ayaz Jamali. Naseerabad Commissioner Javed Akhtar and Deputy Commissioner Qurban Magsi also visited the explosion site along with FC Commandant Anjum Shakeel. They also inquired after the health of the injured persons.

Customs’ personnel also foiled a smuggling bid, seizing 6,350kg of betel nuts along with foreign goods from a truck near Kulpur check post in Bolan district. The contrabands included new and old tires, welding rods, solar plates and cloth worth over Rs10 million.

The provincial goon govt has decided to take action against those officers who are involved in corruption during the purchase and transportation of wheat in the province, who failed to deliver proper baksheesh to the CM. The provincial food department during the said 2017 campaign bought 996,173 bags of wheat but according to the government’s policy the food department has released only 857,799 packets in grind mills. A total of 138,374 packets of wheat are available in Quetta, Naushki, Mastung and Panjgur’s warehouses.The chief thiefminister has ordered an audit into wheat storage in provincial warehouses and directed food department to submit its report.